Women's liberation magazine

1970

Intro

UK Women's Liberation was a feminist movement which emerged with force in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Women's movements had been campaigning for change since the Suffragette movements of the late 1800s and early 1900s. But this new wave gained great energy through different forms of direct action and debate. The London Women's Liberation Workshop was formed in 1969. In its first year it began to publish its newsletter, 'Shrew'.

This page from Shrew refers to a demonstration that had taken place at the Miss World beauty contest in November 1970, at London’s Albert Hall. There female protesters had thrown stilettos and other symbols of oppression into a 'Freedom Trashcan'. Flour was thrown at the models competing in the contest. They carried placards reading 'Miss-fortune demands equal pay for women, Miss-conception demands free abortion for all women, Miss-placed demands a place outside the home'. Their slogan was: 'We're not beautiful, we're not ugly, we're angry'. This article encouraged people to come along and show their support for the subsequent trial.